Monthly Archives October 2014

Monthly Archives: October 2014

Re-mastered Gumby Episodes to Air in November

Big news! Your favorite Gumby episodes will be back on TV! Kabillion, one of the Top 10 Kids Free On Demand TV networks will launch Gumby episodes in mid November. Kabillion is available in over 45 million households in the U.S., so check your cable menu. There is a good chance that you already have this station in the “free” section of the menu. The Kabillion network is provided by most of the major cable companies: Time Warner, Comcast, Verizon, Charter, Bright House, Blue Ridge Communications, and more. Read about Kabillion here. Check out Kabillion’s YouTube station to watch online.

Joe Clokey, son of Gumby creators Art and Ruth Clokey, has recently re-mastered the classic Gumby episodes from their original camera film rolls and included the original soundtracks. Gumby is brighter, more colorful and more fun than ever! You’ve never seen Gumby like this before! With 209 episodes, the longtime hit series has aired in over 146 countries and touched many generations, first airing in the mid 1950s, and continuing into the 2000s.

“My parents created Gumby as a gift of love to children and the child within all of us,” commented Joe Clokey. “People from all generations have been enthralled with these timeless imaginative adventures. Families today want to have 24/7 access to content and we are delighted to be partnering with Kabillion who can now make this happen for our Gumby fans everywhere.”

“For well over fifty years, Gumby has inspired people of all ages and nationalities with the shows central concept of lending a helping hand to others. Gumby has truly become a cultural icon,” commented Nicolas Atlan, Kabillion President & Splash Entertainment co-CEO. “We are excited to bring Gumby to our audience as it is a show that crosses multiple generations and will provide a great co-viewing experience,” added David Di Lorenzo, Vice President Licensing and Digital Distribution for Kabillion.

Stayed tuned… more announcements and official launch dates to come.

P.S. To our Canadian fans: You’re going to love what we have in store for you!

It’s here, it’s here! Get creative with your photography using the new Gumby ‘N Me app.

This fun new app allows you to insert Gumby, Pokey and the Blockheads into any photo taken on your iPhone. You can adjust the size and contrast of the characters and add text. Having a beach party? Message your friends with a photo of Gumby making a sandcastle with the gang, or share a photo on Facebook of you, your friends, Gumby and Pokey at a sporting event cheering for your team. The basic app is free, and once you’re in the app, you can purchase additional pose libraries, such as a sports pack or holiday pack.

Fans often send us photos of their Gumby bendable figures in unique situations and exotic places, such as in front of the Eiffel Tower or at a concert. This app is a great way to take Gumby wherever you go. Gumby can show up at any venue you photograph. Plus, it encourages you to stretch your imagination and be playful and creative with how you add Gumby into your scene. Create a work of art with a few clicks and swipes, and forward it on to cheer up a friend or generate some laughs. The possibilities are endless.

Gumby has a fun new app! Now you can be Gumby or Pokey as you message or chat. Intel’s new Pocket Avatar app creates instant animation. Simply record a message, and the app maps your voice and facial expressions onto an image of Gumby or Pokey. It’s instant animation. Send the message to friend via text or email to get the conversation started or post to your favorite social media sites.

How it works: The camera captures moving faces, lighting conditions and a range of emotions such as smiles, blinking eyes or kisses. The recordings are processed through an algorithm and then mapped on the avatar in real time to create personalized video messages. Emoticons have been a standard tool for expressions in text messaging. An animated chat that reflects a real person’s mood is more engaging. If a user is angry or happy, the avatar will show it.

“Gumby is thrilled to be one of the first Pocket Avatars! For generations, fans have formed lasting emotional connections with the character. Gumby–the world’s original clayboy–is a timeless icon and natural avatar. He is synonymous with ‘flexibility’ as he can morph into any shape. With his adventurous spirit, bright outlook on life and desire to leave a place better than how he found it, Gumby is loveable and irresistible. As the theme song says, ‘If you’ve got a heart, then Gumby’s a part of you!’ Everyone has a little Gumby (and Pokey) inside.” -Joe Clokey, President, Premavision/Clokey Productions

Family Fun for All Ages

The inaugural Gumby Fest, June 14, 2014, in Glendora, California, was a smashing success! Thousands of Los Angeles locals, and Gumby fans from as far away as Canada and Las Vegas, turned out celebrate all things Gumby and honor Gumby’s connection to Glendora. The Gumby studio, Clokey Productions, which also produced the famed Davey and Goliath series, was located in Glendora in the 1960s and 70s. The Glendora Chamber of Commerce, Glendora Community Services, Glendora Library, Glendora Rotary and Glendora Kiwanis banded together to produce this historic event in Gumby’s childhood hometown!

Special Guests, Fascinating Presentations

Joe Clokey, son of Gumby creators Art and Ruth Clokey gave a wonderful retrospective presentation “Gumby Through the Years,” which brought back a flood of fond memories for attendees. A steady flow of fans visited the temporary “Gumby Museum” which showcased photos, puppets, set pieces, toys and other memorabilia, provided by the Clokey family. Gumby episodes were shown in two locations, and a variety of animated student shorts submitted to the festival were also screened.

The “Gumby Gang,” a panel of current and former Clokey Productions animators, puppet makers, cameramen, artists, etc,. spoke to a packed auditorium. Some fun stories surfaced about working with Art and Ruth Clokey… oh, the clay fights! Many of the speakers described how their first film/TV job at Clokey Productions catapulted their careers. Collectively, they have gone on to work on blockbuster films and popular TV series too numerous to mention here.

Among the “Gumby Gang” speakers from the ‘60s studio was seven-time Academy Award winning make-up artist Rick Baker (Maleficent, An American Werewolf in London, Men in Black, Star Wars, and many, many more), who got his start as a teenager at Clokey Productions in the late ‘60s. Baker was joined by two of his contemporaries: Doug Beswick, with more than 40 years of visual effects achievements to his credit, including Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Terminator, Aliens, Evil Dead 2, Gremlins 2, Nightmare on Elm Street 3, and Beetlejuice; and Harry Walton, (Nightmare Before Christmas, The Abyss, James and the Giant Peach, Who Framed Roger Rabbit…) well-known for his skills in animation, visual effects, fabrication, puppet making and photography. Bill Stromberg and Carl Jablonski, animators/puppet makers, rounded out the speakers from the ‘60s.

Norman DiCarlo, Richard Zimmerman, and Chris Peterson represented the Clokey/Productions crew from the 1980s studio in Sausalito, CA. Ron Dexter and Fred Thompson elaborated on the more recent Clokey/Premavision productions in the 2000s.

Chris Peterson from LAIKA Studios introduced that studio’s newest film, Boxtrolls, and a team from Stoopid Buddies Studios (producers of Robot Chicken) previewed some of their work, discussed the more technical aspects of stop motion animation, and gave some insights on how the medium has evolved.

Creativity and New Gumby Memories

While the adults were riveted to the presentations, kids absorbed themselves in the many art and animation activities and games. They created their own stop motion videos, assisted by animators from Stoopid Buddies Studio. Visitors got Gumby temporary tattoos, danced along with Gumby to live local bands and ate yummy Gumby & Pokey cookies and cupcakes baked by a local Glendora bakery. Race car driver Kenton Koch, a Glendora native, showed off his custom Gumby race car, helmet and race suit. He graciously donated the helmet and suit to the Glendora Library for an auction. Read more about Kenton Koch.

All in all, it was a fantastic Gumby Day! The Gumby Central Gang appreciates all of the fantastic ideas, perfect coordination, and countless hours of volunteer work provided by the Glendora organizations their teams. A huge Gumby thank you to all who were involved! We are looking forward to Gumby Fest 2015! Glendora rocks!